Stone Age Goose.  #Wordless Wednesday  #Mama’s sittin’ on a nest.

Posted on April 13, 2022 by Linda Schaub

Wordless Wednesday – allow your photo(s) to tell the story.

About Linda Schaub

This is my first blog and I enjoy writing each post immensely. I started a walking regimen in 2011 and in 2013 I decided to create a blog as a means of memorializing the people, places and things seen on my daily walks. I have always enjoyed people watching, so my blog is peppered with folks I meet or reflections of characters I have known through the years. Often something piques my interest, or evokes a pleasant memory from my memory bank, so this becomes a “slice o’ life” blog post. I respect and appreciate nature and my interactions with Mother Nature’s gifts is also a common theme. Sometimes the most-ordinary items become fodder for points to ponder over and touch upon. I retired in March 2024 after a career in the legal field. I was a legal secretary for almost 45 years, primarily working in downtown Detroit, then working from my home. I graduated from Wayne State University with a degree in Mass Communications (print journalism) in 1978, though I’ve never worked in that field. I would like to think this blog is the writer in me finally emerging!! Walking and writing have met, shaken hands and the creative juices are flowing in Walkin’, Writin’, Wit & Whimsy. I hope you think so too. - Linda Schaub
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53 Responses to Stone Age Goose.  #Wordless Wednesday  #Mama’s sittin’ on a nest.

  1. Zazzy says:
    April 13, 2022 at 6:11 am

    That first picture is a cool optical illusion. Did you intend that?

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub says:
      April 13, 2022 at 7:17 am

      Glad you liked it Zazzy! Purely accidental for that angle which looks like her head is rising out of the rocks. As I approached Mama from the opposite side and looked at the pictures later, I thought she almost doesn’t look real. I think this is the same goose I saw sitting on a nest in the same location last year. I wrote a funny post about her sitting there while her (likely) mate was cavorting in the water with another goose. She gave him a look and he hurried up to see her. 🙂 I had a similar picture of it, but this is a much clearer shot. Gotta love critters because as an “outsider” I can interpret their actions sometimes … either that or I have a wild imagination. Here is last year’s post I referenced and I would have included it but it is Wordless Wednesday.

      If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy!

      Liked by 1 person

      • Zazzy says:
        April 13, 2022 at 7:25 am

        I like a healthy imagination and can happily follow along with your little geese soap opera! Also, I was wondering and you answered my question about what was normal for the geese. Good goose daddy! But what an odd place she chose to make her nest.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Linda Schaub says:
        April 13, 2022 at 7:30 pm

        A little imagination never hurt a soul Zazzy – we need more laughs these days. Yes, geese are devoted to their mates for life, as are swans, unlike ducks who only have seasonal mates. (Hmm.) Like you, I can’t imagine why she would make a nest there because it would be uncomfortable, but I guess she figures no humans would be climbing around on the rocks so she and her eggs/goslings are safe. I took the photos from the walking path.

        Liked by 1 person

  2. peggy says:
    April 13, 2022 at 6:16 am

    Beautiful bird. It is interesting to watch the dedication of birds trying to hatch and raise their young.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub says:
      April 13, 2022 at 7:23 am

      I know Peggy – it is beautiful to watch. I think Canada Geese are striking looking … sweet little goslings, then they have that awkward stage of all feet and canoe-shaped bodies, then their eventual beautiful markings/plumage. I have watched Mama birds of all sizes fiercely defending their eggs and their young, from Robins when Red-winged Blackbirds threaten and geese when they fear humans or a hawk cruising overhead. Mother Nature at her finest. I’m on here double-checking the weather before venturing out – your comment tells me you are safe from the storms in your neck of the woods too.

      Liked by 1 person

  3. E says:
    April 13, 2022 at 6:26 am

    Your photos definitely tell the story

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Ally Bean says:
    April 13, 2022 at 11:18 am

    Beautiful photos once again. How you manage to take them astounds me, but I am glad you share them here.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub says:
      April 13, 2022 at 8:04 pm

      Thank you Ally – I am lucky sometimes to be at the right time and place. In this instance I was at this park briefly and got the seagull strutting, this goose sitting on her nest and some funny shots of a goose that is so fat, she looks like if you stuck a pin in her, she’d burst!

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Tofino Photography says:
    April 13, 2022 at 11:49 am

    They have asked the public in Stanley Park (Vancouver) to help locate Canada Geese nests. It appears they then take the eggs and substitute them with artificial ones so as to help control the population growth.

    Like

    • Linda Schaub says:
      April 13, 2022 at 8:20 pm

      Hmm. Are you okay with that Wayne? That’s cruel in my opinion. Why not do what they do here and use the grape juice spray on the grass as a deterrent to keep them from grazing there? The geese don’t like the taste and it won’t hurt them in the least, but they’ll move on. Do they incubate the eggs artificially somewhere else (that’s less populated with geese)?

      My friend Ann Marie lives in a big apartment complex and in the center of that complex is a huge pond. They have resident ducks and geese until Winter when it ices up. They also have the occasional heron or swan stop by. So one pair of Canada Geese made a nest near the pond every year – the female sat on the nest; the male hovered nearby and there are walkways to the individual apartment buildings. Ann Marie is a walker and passed the pair on her daily walks. The gander would hiss and flap at her, so she moved out of the way. Others did not like it, complained and last year or maybe the year before, Ann Marie returned from walking to find the pair of geese on a rooftop honking their heads off – someone (presumably a caretaker) had removed the nest and eggs. I don’t know if they had to move the female to do this as they sit continuously on the nest during incubation. I thought that was heartless to do that and Ann Marie felt the same way about it.

      Like

      • Tofino Photography says:
        April 13, 2022 at 9:05 pm

        Good question? To stop them getting out of control they need to be managed unfortunately. I agree this seems cruel but they are not harmed and can continue to live there. Some want a cull.
        I do not know If they are aware of your grape juice method but that is a separate issue isn’t it. One issue is to control their numbers and the other issue is herding them into areas where humans do not go.
        You should contact them about what your district does and maybe they would pay attention?

        https://vancouver.ca/news-calendar/park-board-seeks-publics-help-to-keep-canada-goose-population-in-check.aspx

        Like

      • Linda Schaub says:
        April 13, 2022 at 10:34 pm

        Wayne – I read the article and just e-mailed them to tell them about the grape seed extract. I hope it helps … the egg replacement sounds cruel because the geese are not stupid and while I don’t know if they mourned the loss of the eggs, Ann Marie told me that the pair of geese at her apartment complex went on for days with the honking from on top of one of the apartment roofs, so it isn’t like they just forgot about it. The egg swiping would be better than a cull. I follow an animal rehab site (for babies and adult wildlife) on Facebook (Nottingham Nature Nook) and she has rescued fawn/deer and subsequently turned them loose when rehabbed fully. She wrote heartbreaking posts when the nearby wooded area where they were released was an area where sharpshooters were out many nights in a row to cull herds of deer who were causing so many deer/vehicle crashes. It was sad reading her posts. So, hopefully they will take this under consideration. I’ll let you know if I hear back!

        Liked by 1 person

      • Tofino Photography says:
        April 14, 2022 at 2:26 am

        GREAT! Go Team! Very happy you sent them what has been working in your region!
        I understand people getting upset about stepping in Geese droppings. It’s happened to me but I’ve also stepped in Dog crap! You don’t hear me saying all dogs should be gotten rid of!
        I watch where I step, but I guess that’s too hard for people with low IQ’s?

        Liked by 1 person

      • Linda Schaub says:
        April 14, 2022 at 9:45 pm

        Ha ha – yes, people walk their dogs on the path at Council Point Park and there are multiple “no animals allowed” signs and the City ordinance is posted under the sign. My park doesn’t offer dog poo bags and a metal container to drop it into, but most of the larger parks have it and lots of people don’t pick up after their dogs. I’v stepped in both types and I’m constantly stopping and doing a “poop check” especially if I drove to the Park that day. I wish the grape extract solution for the geese problem would have worked in your neck of the woods. I hate to see the geese lose their offspring by trickery and I hope they don’t resort to culling the flock with a sharpshooter either. Surely they can capture and move them somewhere else?

        Liked by 1 person

      • Tofino Photography says:
        April 15, 2022 at 1:59 am

        If they captured them and moved them elsewhere, they would only fly back. They are really good at finding their way around!
        Humans are constantly trying to control Nature! When we weren’t around,Nature loved back in!

        Liked by 1 person

      • Linda Schaub says:
        April 15, 2022 at 8:06 pm

        Yes, our feathered, furry and finned friends only tolerate humans. You are right – humans are always messing where they shouldn’t be messing. A few years ago the Osprey family at Lake Erie Metropark had their nest and eggs removed as they built their nest on part of the electrical wires and they were afraid the family would get electrocuted or cause a power outage. The parents watched the linemen remove the eggs, put them in a cooler for safekeeping, moved the nest to a similar-sized pole, secured the nest, put in the eggs, Osprey parents went right over to investigate. The parents never left the area and kept watching the nest the entire time the workers were handling it/eggs.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Tofino Photography says:
        April 15, 2022 at 9:00 pm

        Yes,I have heard of them doing that. More common then we think I suspect.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Linda Schaub says:
        April 16, 2022 at 8:23 pm

        They didn’t seem to have any complaints about how they replaced the nest or eggs … they flew right up there like nothing happened.

        Liked by 5 people

  6. Dave says:
    April 13, 2022 at 1:09 pm

    Holy gooses, that’s some serious camo!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub says:
      April 13, 2022 at 8:57 pm

      She figures she blends right into the scenery Dave! I was so surprised to see the image on the screen … I thought “her head looks like a periscope in the boulders!”

      Like

  7. Barbara Rodgers says:
    April 13, 2022 at 3:34 pm

    Your stone age goose mama is very lovely! Good thing she lined the nest with something soft to cushion her from those cold, hard rocks. I can’t remember if you got pictures of her goslings last year? I was delighted to learn that Canada geese mate for life and return to the same nesting site every year.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub says:
      April 13, 2022 at 9:39 pm

      Mama looks so regal with her head amongst the boulders doesn’t she Barbara? I can’t imagine that would be comfy sitting there on that bumpy surface for a month (maybe more). See, your last sentence tells me what I suspected – it was the same goose as last year! I could not imagine why this would be a popular nesting site. I believe there were a couple of sets of goslings at Heritage Park last year, so not sure which were hers. Last year it was all about the ducklings at this venue – every time I went to that park, there was another wave of ducklings. 🙂 I hope to get goslings or ducklings shots to use for Mother’s Day. There are always lots of goslings at Elizabeth Park as they have so many geese there.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Barbara Rodgers says:
        April 14, 2022 at 7:01 am

        I was just reading that shortly after the eggs hatch the mother gets the goslings into the water and meets up with other moms in a brooding area where they raise them together in a group called a crèche. That explains why we see large groups of them. Your mama does indeed look very regal!

        Liked by 1 person

      • Linda Schaub says:
        April 14, 2022 at 9:52 pm

        That is interesting Barbara and I didn’t know there was a term for it. At Elizabeth Park, they have a lot of geese and I went last year looking for goslings. I went over one of the smaller bridges that crosses the canal and hit pay dirt. Multiple families all together in such a brooding area and all the goslings were still quite young. So that’s like a big nursery if you think of it. I like the adult plumage of the Canada Geese with that long black neck. I’ll bet Mama does not get much sleep on those big rocks.

        Liked by 1 person

  8. susieshy45 says:
    April 13, 2022 at 7:23 pm

    Loved the colours.
    It may be spring there but the colours still look wintry.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub says:
      April 13, 2022 at 8:46 pm

      Nice to see you Susie! It was warmish today but it still is cold – an Easter Sunday high of only 48.

      Like

      • susieshy45 says:
        May 1, 2022 at 1:31 am

        Linda, I am very much around. I hope this May Day, the skies are bluer and the sun is shining brighter for you.

        Liked by 2 people

      • Linda Schaub says:
        May 1, 2022 at 7:53 pm

        Hi Susie – You have a lot of things going on, but I am always happy to see you. I just finished writing a too-long post about this goose and her brood that you commented on here. It will be for Mother’s Day. Unfortunately both of us have lost our mothers, you recently so grief is fresh in your heart. I often do a post about my mom, but the opportunity presented itself to do a post about this goose, so I jumped on it. Actually the day turned out better than I thought and we had a bad thunderstorm about 6:00 this morning. I am glad it is May and not March – the last two months have been ugly weather and I am still chasing after my goal. Take care Susie.

        Liked by 2 people

  9. Laurie says:
    April 13, 2022 at 8:56 pm

    Geese make such faithful parents. Great to see your nesting photos.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. indianeskitchen says:
    April 15, 2022 at 8:01 pm

    Great title and I agree with Zazzy, nice optical illusion! Also, no surgery for a few weeks. They called and cancelled it because after the mandatory Covid test determined I have Covid. 🤦🏽‍♀️

    Like

    • Linda Schaub says:
      April 15, 2022 at 8:13 pm

      It was an unusual angle when I saw it on the screen, that’s for sure. You’re kidding! All this time, you’ve managed to stay Covid-free, through your daughter’s severe bout with Covid, etc. and now you have it. How do you feel? Hmm – you were getting out of cooking Easter dinner as you were having surgery, but will having Covid also work for no cooking for Easter Sunday?

      Like

  11. incahootswithmuddyboots says:
    April 17, 2022 at 10:35 am

    Lots of Canada geese here too, Linda! I love the telescoping goose. I don’t know what the solution is to keeping their numbers in check. Taking the eggs away is a temporary solution. In San Francisco they feed pigeons with grain that had been “fortified” with birth control. It did reduce their numbers, but I don’t know if it could be done with geese. Regardless, I always enjoy seeing them or flying over my garden and honking!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub says:
      April 17, 2022 at 9:35 pm

      I saw that goose again today Sabine – still on a nest, but stepped off it too for a few minutes. That was a surprise for me. That’s interesting for the birth control for the pigeons and what a great idea. I didn’t like the idea of taking the eggs away – that is cruel, but it is cruel if they would do a cull of the flocks as well. I wonder if I should suggest that pigeon birth control idea to the person I wrote in Vancouver. He wrote me back and said it rains too much there and would be too costly to keep re-applying it. I enjoy the geese doing flyovers and honking too. It is easy to step off the path when they have their goslings in tow and get fractious – it is not for a long period of time after all.

      Like

  12. Shelley@QuaintRevival.com says:
    April 18, 2022 at 4:27 pm

    Wow – you got close to the nest, way to be brave!

    Liked by 1 person

  13. singlikewildflowers says:
    April 19, 2022 at 4:37 pm

    Witty post title!! Great photos.
    And excuse my ignorance, but is this goose nesting?

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub says:
      April 19, 2022 at 6:38 pm

      Glad you liked the title and photos Esther. It’s not ignorant at all – this goose (or another one perhaps) was nesting in the same place last year. I could tell as she was not moving and had some downy feathers around her. When I went to the Botanical Gardens on Easter Sunday, I walked over to the lake to see if Mama Goose was still nesting. Yes she was, but off the next – so I was excited to see a nest of eggs. So I took some pictures and will be using them in a few weeks – you will have to show the kids that post! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      • singlikewildflowers says:
        April 23, 2022 at 2:13 am

        Wow, what a sight to see a nest of eggs. That’s something you don’t get to experience often. We saw one last year with the local pond, but that one is drained now; basically a large dirt ditch.
        I wonder if you’ll get to see the goslings. You had some good luck last year! I’ll show the kids.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Linda Schaub says:
        April 23, 2022 at 9:46 pm

        We have a pond like that too Esther. Some drain malfunction and the entire pond drained to nothing. I hope I get to see the goslings and take pictures of them.

        Liked by 1 person

  14. Priti says:
    April 22, 2022 at 6:33 am

    Wonderful photos beautiful shot thanks for sharing 😊👍

    Liked by 1 person

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